That had to change, if even for a short time.
She’d wanted an adventure. She’d just never imagined she’d have the chance to experience such a big one.
Meet me in room 586.
Should she dare? What did Kyle want? Did he want to kiss her? Sleep with her?
And if it turned out he wanted both those things, what was she going to do?
2
“So how do you feel about Murphy scoring those three touchdowns?” the reporter asked, shoving her microphone in Kyle’s face.
“I feel great,” he replied. “Why wouldn’t I? Murphy’s an outstanding quarterback.”
After returning to the sidelines after halftime, Kyle had helped coach Murphy and the other Bootleggers to victory, with the final score being 23 to 15. But despite the victory and the thrill of the win, Kyle had been distracted.
He couldn’t get Bella out of his head. Even her blue face paint hadn’t been able to disguise how pretty she was. Not only that, but her accent had somehow been the most seductive sound he’d ever heard. He’d never been much for snooty, proper accents, but the way she’d sounded discussing football in such a formal sounding voice? All he’d been able to think about was how she’d sound when his dick was inside her and she was calling out his name, begging him to fuck her harder.
What had really set Bella apart, though, was how she’d talked to him like he was a normal guy, not all-star quarterback Kyle Young. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d met a woman who hadn’t fawned all over him. Not only had Bella not fawned, she’d made it clear she was a fan of the team, not necessarily him. Just like that, he’d been hooked, and he could only hope he’d managed to capture her attention as well.
When he’d first spoken to Bella, he’d only intended to flirt with her before quickly heading back down to the locker rooms. But the minute she’d looked up at him—her pale green eyes framed by her ridiculous blue face paint—and opened her mouth, he’d wanted to know more about her. He’d wanted to know how she tasted. How she felt. He’d even wanted to learn more about how much she knew about football. So when Brandy had interrupted them, he’d asked her to meet him later in the room that his former teammate Omar Perkins had told him about just after Omar had met his wife. Now, Kyle was anxious to head over and see whether Bella was indeed waiting for him. After wrapping things up with the press, he caught the stairs and jogged up to the level where room 586 was located.
He glanced around, noting that there were a few fans still lingering. He quickly made his way to the room and breathed a sigh of relief when he found the door unlocked. Stepping inside, he saw that it was being remodeled, the carpet rolled up and only a couch shoved off to the side. But no Bella in sight.
After several minutes, he assumed she’d decided against seeing him again, and he was surprised by the intense disappointment that washed through him. He’d barely spoken to the woman—hadn’t even seen her out of her face paint—and yet she seemed to have this huge hold on him. Maybe it was better that she hadn’t shown. Maybe…
The door suddenly opened. He watched as Bella stepped inside. She’d washed off the face paint, exposing delicate features and creamy skin. She bit her lip as she looked at him. That small movement, with her teeth against her red bottom lip, sent a surge of lust straight to his groin.
“Lock the door,” he said. “So we won’t be disturbed.”
Her eyes widened, but after only a brief hesitation, she did as he said.
She seemed nervous, he realized. She was messing with her hair, and she couldn’t seem to figure out what she wanted to do with her hands. Kyle found this so charming that he had to restrain himself from kissing her right then and there.
“How did you like the game?” he asked, leading her over to the couch, where they both sat down. “Any plays you liked?”
She blinked at him. “Did you really invite me here to talk about football?”
He barked out a laugh, loving how she didn’t play games. On the other hand, she still seemed tense, and he wanted her to relax. Enjoy this time with him. “We could talk about how insanely attractive you think I am, if you prefer.”
She pursed her lips. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Why not? You don’t find me attractive?” He knew she did. He could see it in her eyes. In her blush. In the way she stared at his mouth and seemed determined to not let her gaze wander below his neck.
“I didn’t say that. I just wouldn’t want your head to get any bigger than it clearly already is.” But she smiled, her white teeth gleaming in the light.
He couldn’t help himself. He put his hand on her knee, leaning closer to her. She didn’t move away—thank God—but her eyes widened, making him pause. Was she really surprised he was attracted to her? Or just inexperienced?
Kyle had been with plenty of beautiful women who’d been well aware of their looks and had used them to their advantage. Bella, though, seemed almost innocent by comparison. Did she not realize the effect she had on men?
At the thought of another man touching her, his gut clenched. A primitive part of him had already claimed her as his. Mine to touch, mine to kiss, his caveman brain chanted.
Slow down, dude. You just met her, the more logical part of his brain admonished.
“Why shouldn’t I have a big head?” he finally responded. “I’m handsome and famous. The best combination, right?”
Bella laughed. “You’re very certain of yourself. But fame can be lonely.” Her tone turned wistful, and he wondered if she’d ever experienced the pitfalls of fame herself. “You’re never alone, but sometimes you can be within a sea of people and feel so lonely your heart breaks.” She looked back at him. “Do you know what I mean?”
Yes, I know what you mean, he thought.
Kyle had enjoyed his fame and fortune, but with it had come some bitter lessons. He had to be careful who he could trust, who he could talk to, who he could date. He couldn’t reveal too much about himself or his family without worrying that someone would use it against him. He had to be careful that any woman he slept with wouldn’t get angry when he decided to break things off and give some tell-all interview as revenge.
He pushed away the painful emotions her words had incited.
“Are you saying that you’re lonely, Duchess? Because I can take care of that for you,” he said with a wide smile.
“And how would you propose doing that?”
He raked her with his gaze, and he watched as a pretty blush rose on her cheeks. She sat on the couch like a queen or something, her back stiff, her accent straight out of Windsor Castle. He’d never seen a woman with more perfectly manicured nails, or one who didn’t have a hair out of place. Despite the casualness of her tank top and shorts, she somehow managed to wear both with an elegance Kyle had never witnessed before
“I’d start with showing you how happy I am you came to me. I’d kiss you,” he said as he leaned toward her, his lips brushing her ear, “and make you tremble. Then I’d stroke your luscious body until you begged me to take you.”
Bella was breathing faster now, and Kyle saw with delight that her blush extended to her chest. She smelled like jasmine and honey, so sweet that he wanted to taste her.
“Do you always speak to women you’ve just met like this?” she asked, her voice breathy.
“Only women I’m interested in.”
“You’re interested in me?”
He laughed. “Do you think I ask women to meet me alone if I’m not interested in them? That seems like torture to me.”
She shrugged. “You Americans can be so odd, though. Sometimes I’m unsure how you think.” She shifted, and his hand moved from her knee to her calf.
He stroked her skin; she shuddered slightly. “Do you have an example?”
“Oh, well, Americans wear shoes inside their homes. In Salasia, that would be considered extremely impolite.”
“Ah. Well, I think it’s weird that Europeans eat pizza with a fork and knife.”
“That’s not weird, it’s civilized.”
Kyle softly pinched her, and she yelped before laughing. “What else you got, Duchess?”
“Your movies—so much violence, but nudity is seen as going too far. In Salasia, we don’t fear nudity.”
He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Are you saying we should go ahead and strip down right now? Because I can tell you, this American would be game for it.”
She blushed and laughed again. “No, that’s not what I meant!”
“Too bad. So how does a good Salasian girl like you get into American football?”
“When I was a young girl, I saw a game on television. I’d never seen anything like it.” Her eyes widened, and excitement laced her voice. “Men tackling each other! The fans screaming. Europeans love football—soccer, I mean—but this was like nothing I’d ever seen. I had to know more.” Shrugging, she added, “And that was that.”
Kyle continued stroking her skin, inching his hand up slowly, watching her reaction. She quivered. He could see her nipples peaking through her thin tank top, and he hardened. God, he wanted her. Talking football with a beautiful woman was one thing, but having her this close, her pupils dilated and her body begging him to take her? Paradise.